1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to rodent traps and more specifically to traps suitable for trapping mice, rats and other small rodents in a reusable or disposable trap allow the removal of trapped animal without physical contact.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many animal traps have been invented. Some of these traps, including spring-loaded impalers and jaw-type traps are dangerour to domestic animals and humans. The disposal of the trapped animal from such traps, to most people, is a gruesome experience. Some types of traps are excessively elaborate and expensive. Traps employing electronic sensing devices for detecting mice and rats cannot generally be economically justified. The following U.S. patents disclose state-of-the-art traps involving self-closing doors, a category into which the trap of the present invention belongs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,892 discloses a trap having two elongated cylindrical compartments joined at an angle and a door at one end which swings shut. Once a rodent enters the rear compartment, the rodent's weight causes the door to close, thereby trapping the rodent. The disadvantage of this trap is that if a rodent should climb on the outside of the rear compartment, the door will close without trapping any animal, rendering the trap useless until it is manually reset. U.S. Pat. No. 1,273,185 to Reich discloses an animal trap in the form of a maillbox-shaped tube which rotates about a foot which is integral and at a right angle to a door. The weight of the animal causes the tube to rotate backward about the foot, the foot tilts forward, and the door closes. This mechanism is rather complex, not reliable, and expensive.
Still another U.S. Pat. No. 1,581,297 to Schmuck, discloses a rectangular tube balanced on a V-shaped fulcrum support. The open end of the tube is initially inclined downward and includes a door which is designed to lower automatically within a pair of parallel slots when the weight of the animal forces the rear portion of the tube down and the front portion of the tube up. This door mechanism is complicated, and again there is the possibility of the animal climbing on the outside of the back portion of the tube, triggering the mechanism without trapping the animal and rendering the trap inoperative.
Therefore, there is a need for an economical, reliable, and simple rodent trap. It is the object of this invention to provide such a trap.